Overview
- Residents and CNN reported multiple pre-dawn blasts and low-flying aircraft over Caracas on Saturday, with some power outages and no immediate official explanation.
- In a televised interview, Maduro declined to confirm U.S. claims of a strike on a Venezuelan port area, asserting national defenses ensure territorial integrity as local reporting cites no evidence of a ground attack.
- Maduro said he is open to “serious” talks with Washington on counternarcotics and U.S. energy investment, including Chevron, and raised the prospect of reinstating deportation flights.
- The Venezuelan leader denied having a second call with President Donald Trump, stating they spoke once for about 10 minutes on November 21 and describing the exchange as respectful.
- U.S. Southern Command reported new Dec. 31 strikes on suspected drug boats, putting fatalities at least at 115 by U.S. figures, as NYT and CNN reported Venezuela has detained at least five U.S. citizens in recent months, potentially for leverage.